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It’s back! The 2014 NHL season is underway and things are already heating up. I’m a little late with my predictions but you can blame school and the MLB Postseason for that. Anyways, here are my predictions.

April 3rd is the date. Non-stop action of hockey trades. Many big names have been thrown around this year. We have already seen Jarome Iginla shipped to Pittsburgh, Brenden Morrow to Pittsburgh and Douglas Murray to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has been busy over the past few days and they seem to be making a serious run for the cup. Here are some of the big trade possibilities as well as my predictions for who I think might be on the move on Wednesday.

The shortened 2013 NHL season has featured surprises and disappointments. First off, who could have predicted the Chicago Blackhawks incredible streak? Who would think that the Maple Leafs, Senators and Canadiens would be in a playoff position and the Lightning, Capitals and Flyers would not? While everyone is making their early awards predictions, I thought I would focus on the slumps and droughts. Here some stats on some slumps and cold streaks.

Pardon my absence from my blog as I have been caught up in school work and watching hockey. I have been up to date with everything NHL and MLB. I was watching an New York Islanders game the other day when I was thinking about their recent struggles with goaltending. The Isles continue to be a below average hockey team. As I look at the standings, they are last in their division and 12th in the conference. But when you look at their goaltenders they have the injury-prone Rick Dipietro, Evgeni Nabokov and the newly acquired Tim Thomas.

Now, look back just 5 years. 07/08 was the year. These same three goalies were excellent. Here are the facts to prove it.

Rick Dipietro (This was Rick’s last year before the big injuries kicked in).

26 wins

3707 minutes played (10th in NHL)

NHL All-Star

Evgeni Nabokov (SJ)

46 wins

4560 minutes played (2nd in NHL)

2.14 GAA (3rd in NHL)

NHL All-Star

6 Shutouts (3rd in NHL)

Vezina Trophy finalist

Tim Thomas (BOS)

28 wins

.921 SV%

1595 saves (13th in NHL)

Many other teams struggle with goalie issues some being a positive issue like the problem in Vancouver with two #1 goalies (Schneider, Luongo) they don’t know who to start and when. But other teams have had poor performances this year and in previous years. The Leafs continue to have hard times with their net minders. (Reimer, Scrivens). Ever since Washington traded Semyon Varlamov to the Avalanche, they have not have consistent goal keeping. The Caps are chugging along with Neuvirth and Holtby who have not quite lived up to expectations in 2013. Washington is currently in last in their conference and things are not looking up. A goaltender is a very important part of any team. If your goalie is not playing up to par, well you better have a good offensive team.

Finally the NHL Lockout has come to an end. This means blogging about both sports, hockey and baseball. I have made my predictions for the shortened 48 game season. It includes standings and skater statistics. Feel free to debate or argue with me. I’m always open to discuss all topics. (Note: Overtime/Shootout wins and losses are included in the Win and Loss category.